I met Lauren Bush in her office in South County right inside the Goddard School’s front door. She had very specific times that we could meet – too early and she’d be handling the morning rush, too late and she’d be on to her mid-day tasks. She handles so many of the school’s day to day operations, her business card should be much bigger than it is. It was apparent that the many tasks she juggles over the course of the day is what she loves about the job. Most of all, though, she loves being so involved with the children at the school.
She says, “I have always enjoyed being around children! I started as a mother’s helper and then progressed to full-fledged babysitting soon after. As far as I can remember, people always said that I was great with kids and had a real knack for working with them. How can you not have a smile on your face when you have so many friends and get to see them every day!! It wasn’t until I was in college that I started working in a childcare center. It was then that I realized that I wanted to be a part of the bigger picture and not in a class with just one group of children.”
On her many different hats as Director, Lauren says, “This position requires so much, but the most important thing is flexibility. No two days are ever the same and you need to be ok with that. There are so many hats that I wear, it just depends on which hats I will be wearing today! Some days I am a plumber, a nurse, a custodian, a therapist, a coordinator, a photographer, a listening ear, an author; but every day I am a mom, a leader, and I am responsible for the health, safety, and well-being of 100+ children and teachers-which is a huge responsibility that I don’t take lightly. (I also wish I was an octopus!!) You also have to realize that you aren’t going to get to everything on your “to-do” list in one day-so pick one major thing to tackle every day and sprinkle in some smaller items. Everything will get done eventually!”
Even with everything she has on her plate, she is able to keep it in perspective, noting “This position is so fulfilling! Where else can you go to work every day knowing that you are instilling a love of school and learning into each child? I love seeing the children at every age and really enjoy visits from our graduates and hearing about all the fun things they are doing and learning in school!”
If Lauren wasn’t the Goddard School Director, she says that she knows she’d be doing something involving children in some way. Thank you, Lauren, for being part of the RI@Work project. Keep up the good work!
These images are part of my RI@Work personal project. Are you or someone you know doing something unique, interesting, or rewarding for work in Rhode Island? Drop me a line below to let me know if you’d be interested in being featured in this project. I’d love to hear about what you do!
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